5 biggest on-court fights in NBA history

The NBA has been alive and hooping for over 75 years, and as a contact sport, basketball has some heated moments when players go against each other, triggering massive brawls.

With its history stretching back to 1946, Sportskeeda ranked the biggest on-court fights in league history.

#5 Jo Jo English and Derek Harper take the fight in front of NBA Commissioner David Stern

The Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks were among the most heated rivalries in the 90s. With Michael Jordan retiring for the first time to play baseball, both teams went against each other during Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Semi-Finals on May 14, 1994.

The fight between English and Harper went to the stands, and NBA Commissioner David Stern was just meters away from the bench-clearing incident.

English was suspended for one game and fined $10,000, and both players were suspended without pay. The Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks were fined $50,000 each, and 15 other players who left the bench were fined $2,500 each.

"I wish it didn't happen," English said after the brawl. "I'm very embarrassed, and I apologize especially to the kids who look up to us."

#4 Doc Rivers and Kevin Johnson trigger a huge bench-clearing brawl

On March 23, 1993, the New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns figured in a brawl that made the league change some rules. Kevin Johnson and Doc Rivers were the main instigators, while Greg Anthony came off the bench swinging.

Johnson and Rivers were suspended two games each, and 21 players were fined $160,500. Greg Anthony, who was nursing a sprained ankle, joined the brawl and had the biggest fine of $20,500. Johnson was fined $15,000, and the league gave Rivers a $10,00 bill.

With the actions of Anthony, the league made it a point that players who are not actively playing in the game will automatically get fined when they leave the bench, even if they want to prevent a fight from erupting.

"I've never seen anything like that in all my 27 years in the league," Suns president Jerry Colangelo said via the New York Times. "It looked like it was going out of control. It got a little scary there for a minute. There was a point where it seemed like the officials had things calmed down, but when Anthony came off the bench, then it really broke loose."

#3 Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning, former teammates turned bitter rivals

Another New York Knicks brawl in this list, and the 90s again. This time it takes a page from the Miami Heat and New York Knicks rivalry that headlined the late 90s.

What is more intriguing in this brawl is that Alonzo Mourning of the Heat and Larry Johnson of the Knicks were both teammates in the Charlotte Hornets to kick off their young NBA careers.

The incident happened in the first round of the 1998 playoffs as both big men exchanged blows. As Charles Oakley responded to stop the fight, Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy held on to Mourning's leg for dear life.

Both players were suspended for two games. Mourning had a $20,000 fine, while Johnson had $10,000. Chris Mills was also fined $2,500 for leaving the bench.

"Unfortunately, I was hurt, and Jeff went out there to try and stick up for Larry. He grabs Alonzo, and Alonzo being so strong, all you see is Jeff just sliding down his body," said Patrick Ewing in an interview with ESPN. "And all he's trying to do is just hold on to his leg for dear life. That was the funniest thing that I've ever seen in sports."

#2 New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets altercation led to the most penalties in NBA history

This fight was triggered when Mardy Collins had a flagrant foul on J.R. Smith in the final seconds of the matchup. As players flock in to join the confrontation, the fight slightly went to the stands, and the entire court became a battlefield.

Once the penalties were set, Carmelo Anthony was suspended for 15 games, while JR Smith had 10. On the Knicks' side, Nate Robinson was given a 10-game suspension. Nene and Jerome James were given a one-game suspension each. Above all this, each team was fined $500,000.

“It is our obligation to take the strongest possible steps to avoid such failures in the future and to make a statement to all who follow the game of basketball that we understand our obligations and take them seriously,” said NBA Commissioner David Stern on the stiff fines.

#1 Malice in the Palace

There is no surprise here. This brawl alone figured in multiple documentaries as the altercation between Ben Wallace and Ron Artest spilled into the stands. Detroit Pistons fans were involved in the brawl as Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O'Neal were seen in altercations with them.

When everything seemed under control, a beer flying into the air and hitting Ron Artest triggered the entire fiasco. The incident was so bad that courtrooms got involved in the aftermath.

The lengthy suspensions of Jermaine O'Neal, Stephen Jackson, and Ron Artest drained their chances of winning the championship and dethroning the 2004 NBA champions, Detroit Pistons.

"If the brawl wouldn’t have happened, we would have been champions, no question about it," Jackson says. "No question. … That’s the only thing I regret about the whole situation is not being able to do what we said we were going to do for Reggie."